Patrick h



- P. H. MACK.

WELL PACKER.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. m, 1916.

1,303,091 .lfatvnred May 6, 1919.

WITNESSES INVENTOR MZWM UNITED STATES PATENT orrios.

PATRICK H. MACK, OF BRADFORD, PENNSYLVANIA; ASSIGNOR TO OIL WELL SUPPLYCOMPANY, OF PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA, A. CORPORATION OF PENNSYLVANIA.

WELL-PAGKER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 6,1919.

Application filed March 16, 1916. Serial No. 84,588.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, PATRICK H. MACK, a citizen of the United States,residing at Bradford, in the county of McKean and State of Pennsylvania,have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Well- Packers, ofwhich the following is a specification.

Myinvention relates to well packers, and more particularly to devices ofthis type adapted for use as plugs for shutting off water, etc., fromthe lower levels of a'well, being particularly adapted for use inclosing in dry or abandoned wells.

Various means have been employed for this purpose, generally in the formof wood or lead plugs. Of these materials, wood is of such character asto permit physical destruction by drillin sired to continue rillingoperations to a lower depth at a laterperiod; lead, however, due to itsductile character, is diflicult to be destroyed in this manner. However,more satisfactory results can be obtained by a plug packing structureincluding certain features found in well packers now very generallyemployed.

This latter type of packer, owing to its construction, cost, and theinability to drill through or to destroy the packer in cases where it isdesired to drill the well deeper,

are, for the reasons stated, not employed except under particularcircumstances, and when so employed, provision must be made forwithdrawing the packer from the well should it ever be decided to drilldeeper.

The present invention is particularly designed for the purpose ofobtaining the advantages of both type of packers by a structure which,while possibly of an increase cost over the wood or lead plug structure,is materially less in cost than the usual packer structure. At the sametime, the construction employed is such as to provide for maximumefliciency.

' The primary ob ects of the present invention are to provide a packerstructure, of

. comparatively low cost which is efficient in .operation, readilyplaced in position, and which can be readily destroyed or broken up bydrilling apparatus should such action be desired.

To these and other ends, my invention consists in the improvedconstruction and combination of partshereinafter fully detools should itbe de-v scribed, illustrated, and particularly pointed out in-theclaims.

In the accompanying drawings, in which similar reference charactersindicate similar parts in each of the views,

Figure 1 is aside elevation of a packer constructed in accordance withmy invention, the packer being unexpanded.

Fig. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view taken through the axis of thepacker, with the parts expanded.

Fig.3 is a detail tions. Referring to the drawings, 10, designates atubular body member, threaded as illus: trated at its opposite ends, thelower end being adapted to receive a member 11, the latter beingpreferably integral in structure and tubular in form. The upper end ofmember 11 has its exterior in the form of a cone 11, the interior beingthreaded to receive the lower end of member 10, the threads beingpreferably spaced from the end of member 11 to decrease liability ofdamage to the threads. The opposite end of member 11 is also threaded asat 11*, to receive an extension should it be desired to employ the same.Where the packer is intended to be employed as a plug, I additionallyprovide a diaphragm 11 within member 11 above the threaded portion 11,this diaphragm being preferably formed integral with 1nember11, althoughit might be threaded therein. This diaphragm acts to close the passagethrough members 10 and 11, and is of sufficient thickness to withstandany pressures which may be placed against it, but being readilypunctured and broken by drilling apparatus should it be found necessaryto destroy the packer. If desired, members 10 and 11 can be formed as anintegral structure, being considered as an equivalent of the sectionalconnected structure.

Member 11 is also provided with an annular flange 11 forming a seatstructure to which is secured, as by screws 11, rotationpreventingmeans, such, for instance, as 'a plurality of leaf springs 12, the upperends of the springs being adapted to enter recesses 11 Springs 12 areadapted to carry means for engaging the walls of the well, the meansshown in the drawings being in the form of rolls or wheels, this being awellknown structure for this purpose. Obviously, any of the well knownstructures for this purpose may be substituted. As will be seen,however, from Fig. 2, member 11 is practically a unit which carries therotation preventing structure, the closure (diaphragm 11) and the cone11 and is of a form which can be readily secured to member 10 or formedintegral therewith, and to an extension when one is employed. The unitwith the exception of the springs can be readily formed of cast metal,thus making the cost comparatively small.

Mounted on body member 10 and adapted to coact withcone 11 is a slipstructure 13, made up of segment-s having their outer faces corrugated,and having their inner faces inclined inwardly from the opposite ends,as at 13, the portion of such inner faces intermediate the oppositelyinclined portions 13 substantially conforming to the form of tubularmember 10. The segments are each preferably formed with an annularrecess 13 adapted to receive retainers 13, which may be in the form ofwire strands readily disrupted under the application of pressureprovided by expanding the segments in the manner pres ently described.The inclined faces 13 are practically complemental' to the faces of thecone 11 and the cone 14; of a memberv 1 1, which latter forms the lowerwall for the expansible packing 15, member 14: being slidable on member10, this arrangement enabling the slip structure to be placed inposition either end down.

As will be readily understood, with the slip structure positioned onmember 10 and with faces 11 in contact with opposing cones 13 and 14",any pressure exerted on the segments by relative axial movement of thecones will cause the segments to be forced outward by the cones and thecompleinental faces of the segments acting to cause the segments to bemoved radially. both cones being effective and thus preventing tiltingaction of the segments during expansion of the slip structure. As aresult, the entire length of the segments becomes active as a holdingmeans when the relative movement of the cones is provided in setting theslip structure, the opposite ends of the segments being firmly supportedby-the cone surfaces and thus providing a rigid well-contacting meansnot only extended in lengtlnbut firmly supported thrmighout such length.The packing element 15 is located between member 14 and a slidablemember 16 mounted on member 10; said members 11 and 16 are preferablycup shaped.

1'7 designates a cap threaded to the upper end of member 10. said caphaving its upper end reduced in diameter. and formed with bayonet slots17. adapted to cooperate with a letting-in tool 18 having pins 18 whichare adapted to operate in said slots. The bayonet slots are so arrangedthat pins 18 are not disengaged by the vertical movements of the tubingprovided'in adding sec tions of tubing to lower the packer, the slotshaving an inclined face 17 which will tend to cause the pin to move intothe close end of the slot when the operation is such as to produce arelatively upward travel of the pins under normal action, theslots beingdesigned to require an intentional reverse movement of the letting-intool in order to permit the pins to pass into alinement with the openends of the slots.

lVhere. the structure is designed to be used as a plug, cap 17 isprovided with a diaphragm 17 preferably formed integral therewith butwhich may be in the form of an insertible member, the diaphragm beingcomparatively thin and thus readily punctured or broken by a drillingtool when it is desired to destroy the packer.

The cap is expanded at its lower end and formed with a seat 17 adaptedto cooperate with the upper face of member 16, or, if desired, ananti-friction structure may be placed between said faces, thus producinga swivel effect, the expanded portion of the cap forming a skirt withrespect to the upe per portion of member 16.

The structure is such that the packing and slip structures are set bythreading the cap 17 inwardly, weight having no effect in thisconnection. As will be understood,

-during the downward movement of the packer within the well, therotation preventing means are in contact with the well walls.Consequently, when the packer is at the desired point in the well, thetubing is rotated in a direction to cause the cap to thread inwardly onmember 10, the result being that pressure is applied to member 16 tomove it inward on member 10, thereby placing pressure on member 14through the packing 15. ture is retained unexpanded by suitableretaining wires, and when this inward pressure reaches a point where itbecomes greater than the resistance afforded by these retaining wires.the latter will be disrupted,

allowing the slip structure to be moved outwardly into contact with thewalls of the well by the pressure operating on the seganents through theaction of the cones, as

heretofore pointed out.

As heretofore pointed out, the packer is so constructed as to be readilyformed of cast metal of a character that can be readily the dia- Aspointed out, the slip struclocated between the end members, and a.

the packer. By the omission of the diaphragms 11 and'l7 the structuremay be employed as an ordinary packer.

What I claim is L 1. In packing structures and in combination, opposingend members, slips and a packing member located between said endmembers, and a body member threaded to one of said members andconnecting the end members, threading movements of one of said endmembers acting to vary the distance therebetween at will, the Varyingmovements in one direction serving to expand the slips and packingmember. 7

2. In packing structures and in combination, opposing end members, slipsand a packing member located between said end members, and a body.member threaded to one of said members and connecting the end members,threading movements of one of said end members acting to vary thedistance therebetween at will, the varying movements in one directionserving to expand the slips 'and packing member, and rotation-preventingmeans carried by an en member.

3. In packing structures and incombination, opposing end members, slipsand a packing member located between said end members, and a body memberthreaded to one of said members and connecting the end members,threading movements of one of said end members acting to Vary thedistance therebetween at will, the varying movements in one directionserving to expand the slips and packing member, one end member having aface active in effecting the expansion movements of the slips andpacking, said latter member carrying rotation-preventing means.

4. In packing structures and in combination, opposing end membersrelatively movable axially, slips and a packing member located betweenthe end members, and a body member carried by one of the end members andthreaded to the other end member, said end and body members beingtubular in form.

5. In packing structures and in combination, opposing end membersrelatively movable axially, slips and a packing member body membercarried by one of the end members and threaded to the other end member,

sa1d end and body members being tubular 1n form, and means to closecommunicatlon through the interior of the packing structure.

6. In packing structures and incombination, opposing end members, slipsand a packing member located between the end members, and a body membercarried by one of the end members and threaded to the other end member,said end and body membersbeing tubular in form, and means carried by theend members for closing communication through the interior of thepacking structure.

7. In packing structures and in combinaslip and packing member beingadapted to be set in packing position by a movement of one end memberrelative to the other, said slip including a plurality of parts eachhaving an inner face inclined inwardly from its ends, and coactingcone-shaped means for expanding the slip.

9. In packing structures, opposing end members, a packing member and aslip structure between said end members, said sl1p structure and packingmember being adapted to be set in packing position by relative.movements of the end members, said slip structure comprising aplurality of segments externally corrugated, and means for ex pandingthe slip structure by substantially radial movements of the segmentswith the corrugated faces of the segments maintained parallel to theaxis of the packing structure. 10. In packing structures, oppos ng endmembers, apacking member and a slip structure between said end members,said slip structure and packing member bemg adapted to be set in packingposition by relative movements of the end members, said slip externallycorrugated, said segments having their inner faces inclined inwardlyfrom their ends, and means for expanding the slip structure bysubstantially radial movements of the segments with the corrugated facesof the segments maintained parallel to the axis of the packingstructure, said means including cone-shaped members adapted to cooperatewith said inclined faces.

In testimony whereof, I aiiix my signature in, presence of twowitnesses.-

PATRICK II MACK.

- Witnesses:

W. E. BURDIOK, F. G. MGFADDEN.

structure comprising a plurality of segments

